Three Words
by HannahBerrie
Summary: After the epilogue in Frozen, both Anna and Kristoff are finding it hard to figure out how they really feel about each other.


Kristoff couldn't help but smile as he watched Anna slip around on the ice, clutching onto her sister's hand desperately. "No, trust me, I got it this time!" She'd protest, trying to squirm away, before falling flat on her face. It wasn't rare for her to sometimes go flying out of Elsa's grasp all together, crying out in not only amusement but frustration. She would let out a tiny yelp and apologize profusely to whichever citizen of Arendelle she happened to (almost) injure this time, before getting right back up, ready to start again. She had to be the worst, albeit the cutest, skaters he'd ever seen.

Then again, Kristoff wasn't doing the best either. He knew how to skate; long afternoons spent playing ice hockey with Sven on frozen lakes had made sure of that. But watching Anna proved to be not only highly distracting, but disorienting. He'd just get so caught up in her laugh and her smile and the cute little way she'd wrinkle up her nose when she fell and the squeal of delight she emitted when Elsa spun her around that he couldn't help himself. He'd slip and fall right over backwards, feeling his cheeks grow hot as the sisters skated past, laughing at him hysterically.

Not to mention managing a reindeer who was very excited to be around so many people, while on ice, wasn't so easy. Sven would run, well, _fumble,_over to groups of little kids, begging for them to pet him. The kids would squeal with delight (they'd never seen a reindeer this up close before, let alone allowed to touch one), crawl all over his back, and stroke his soft fur. Sven would jump around happily, his tongue wagging. Kristoff would then have to skate after him; he had to make sure Sven didn't accidentally sit on anyone, after all. He'd attempt to grip onto Sven, yelping as his hands slipped, and he fell yet again. The children would all laugh at him (laughing at Kristoff seemed to be becoming a popular trend) and crawl over his sprawled-out frame; poking at his nose, blowing raspberries in his face, and tickling him until he could hardly breathe.

Thankfully, at the moment Olaf and Sven seemed preoccupied with playing hide n' seek around the castle. Olaf was standing in the corner of the newly-created ice rink, his sticks placed over his eyes as he counted down from 50. Kristoff glanced around for Sven, smiling in amusement. Within seconds, he spotted his reindeer. Sven was crouched behind one of the fountains, smiling to himself, his giant antlers instantly giving him away. Kristoff laughed and slid over to him. "Uh, buddy? You're going to have to hide better than that. I can see you from a mile away."

Sven looked at him in surprise, shocked that the spot he had so carefully planned out had failed him.

Kristoff glanced around. "Why don't you go behind those pillars over there?" He said, gesturing to the spot. "There's a lot of people over there that will cover you."

Sven smiled and licked Kristoff's face in appreciation for the harvester's cleverness. Snorting happily, he slid off, accidentally knocking a few more people aside.

Kristoff placed his hands on his hips and laughed. Some things would never change. Even though he should have been used to it by now, he still couldn't believe that he was actually inside the _castle. _That he was on first name terms with the royals. That he'd kissed-  
Kristoff's cheeks instantly turned pink as he thought back to that tender moment. Even though it'd happened at least an hour ago, he was still awash in the afterglow of it all. He grinned as he thought of how Anna's arms had wrapped themselves around his neck, how she'd smiled as she pulled his body closer to hers, her little hum of content that warmed his lips and sent shivers down his spine. The way her tongue had just darted out and-

"Watch out!" A startled voice called out from behind, interrupting his thoughts.

Kristoff turned around just in time to catch Anna, who tumbled into his arms blushing and giggling. "Sorry!" She apologized, gazing up at him with flushed cheeks. "I might have been going a _little _too fast."

Kristoff chuckled. "You think?"

Anna blushed but smiled up at him coyly. "Well, at least you were here to catch me."

"I'll always be here to catch you," Kristoff said without thinking, feeling mortified the moment the words left his mouth. His whole face burnt bright red, and his eyes widened. "I-I mean. If you want. Not that I want you to want. You can want whatever you want, I don't care. I just wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything. Ever. So if you ever need anyone to catch you, hypothetically speaking-"

"Kristoff!" Anna exclaimed, placing a finger over his mouth. "It's okay. I-I want you to catch me." She blushed as she said it, shaking her head slightly. "Okay, that sounded weird. What I mean is…I want to spend time with you. I want you to stay."

Kristoff smiled in disbelief, and he looked down at his scuffed up boots in pleasure. "R-really?"

Anna nodded, tilting up his chin to look him in the eye. "Really."

Kristoff beamed at her, trying to ignore the frantic pounding of his heart. Over the past few days, she'd turned him into absolute mush. She, who had started off as a business partner, a complete stranger even, was now the only thing he ever had on his mind. Whenever she was around, he just felt all _weird _inside, like his insides had been replaced by fluttering butterflies and sugary daydreams. Everything she did amazed him, from throwing snowballs at enraged snowmen to sacrificing herself for her sister (a subject he tried to not think about). Every time he was with her, he just wanted to know her more, he wanted to study every feature on her face, to learn everything written in her heart. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and give her the world, but he didn't know exactly how, let alone if he was even the person for the job.

He'd never felt this way about anyone before, and it scared, yet thrilled him. He knew what it was, but he was too terrified to say it aloud. But as he looked down at Anna, her eyes sparkling with joy as he gazed up at him, he knew he had to. It was just three words. It would only take a moment. The worst she could say was that she didn't feel the same. Oh God, what would he do if she did say that? He'd have to disappear, go into hiding. He'd never be able to show his face again. Not to her, anyway. It'd be far too embarrassing. No, no, he could do this. He was Kristoff Bjorgman; official Ice Master. He could lift a 200 pound load of ice over his head without breaking a sweat. He could say a few words to a beautiful, perfect princess. Who couldn't? Not him. He was going to do this. He was going to say it. He-

"You're so sweet." Giggling, Anna leaned in to press a quick, chaste kiss to his cheek, leaving a luxurious tingling sensation behind.

He couldn't do it. His nerves got the better of him. And with the smooth feel of her lips against his skin and the soft scent of flowers and vanilla that clouded his senses, any attempts at speaking were futile. "You are too," he instead murmured, suddenly feeling shy.

"I'll talk to you later." Anna beamed at him, bopping him on the nose with one delicate, playful finger before skating away, back into Elsa's arms.

Kristoff sighed, still tingling from her touch. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Anna giggled as she skated away from Kristoff, watching his cheeks turn pink and his lips curve into an embarrassed grin. He was so cute when he got all shy. Then again, Anna was quickly discovering that he was cute _all_the time, even when he was tripping and sliding after her on ice or eating reindeer-salivated carrots. Her brow furrowed. Okay, maybe not that last one. But he still had those adorable freckles spotted over his nose, that mussed-up blonde hair that he'd occasionally have to flip to the side, or those _gorgeous _brown eyes that were just like warm, luscious pools of chocolate…  
Anna sighed aloud, smiling as she reached her sister's awaiting arms.

"Are you having fun?" Elsa asked hopefully, holding Anna to steady her.

"Are you kidding?" Anna laughed a little, amused with her sister's sweet concern. "This is amazing!"

Elsa relaxed. "Watch this!" She suddenly exclaimed, a mischievous glint in her eye. Holding onto Anna with one hand, she shot a blast of icy magic out of the other, propelling the girls across the ice rink.

Anna let out a gasp of delight as they flew across the ice, Elsa maneuvering them past fellow skaters expertly. "Elsa!" She laughed, holding onto the queen's hand tightly.

Elsa turned to look over her shoulder at Anna, looking elated. "Do you want me to slow down?"

Anna shook her head. "Faster!" She burst into giggles as Elsa followed her commands, whisking and twirling Anna around the rink with a playful grace. As Anna looked around the castle courtyard, she realized she had never felt happier. Her sister was not only talking to her again, but they were laughing and dancing and twirling together, just like they had when they were children. She'd longed for this for so long, and up until now she never realized how much she truly missed it.

And then there was Kristoff. Anna felt her cheeks heat up just _thinking_about him. He wasn't like any of those tall, fair princes she'd spent so much time daydreaming about; he was so much _more. _He looked at her like no one ever had before, like she was a rare gem or, in his case, a brand-new sled. And he always seemed to put her first, he was always looking out for her, protecting her. Anna giggled to herself as she remembered that she still had his woolen cap, tucked under her pillow for safekeeping. She knew she should give it back, but it was just so soft and warm, and it kept a reminder of him around the castle, something she found herself needing. She'd give it back to him….eventually.

Anna just liked having him around. She liked _him_. Maybe even more than liked. Her cheeks turned pink (again) at the thought, and she gripped onto Elsa harder. Did she? She liked spending time with him, and when Olaf had told her that he loved her, she had to admit, she had felt a little…_excited_inside. But then again, maybe Kristoff was just being sweet. Maybe Olaf meant he loved her like a friend, or like a pet-like Sven. Maybe he didn't feel the same way about her. But, then again, they _had_ kissed…  
Anna frowned, lost in her troubles. She thought she loved him. She really did. But after what happened with Hans…

_You were so _desperate _for love, you were willing to marry me just like that!_

Anna squeezed her eyes shut and felt her body go weak. The smirk on his face, the pain of him leaving her, being alone again, slowly freezing to death, the delicate click of the door being locked in her face; it all haunted her, even though she knew it shouldn't. She had thought Hans loved her, she had opened up to him, had become so vulnerable, and he'd just left her to die. She'd been so foolish, but it had all been in the name of "true love." Now, she realized, she had no idea what _that _kind of love was really like. Maybe she never would. Maybe Hans was right; maybe she was so _desperate _for another start that she was just fooling herself into thinking she even had a chance with a perfect guy like Kristoff. The thought broke her, and Anna could help but burst into tears.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Elsa instantly pulled them both to a stop, looking concerned. "Why are you crying? I-I thought you were happy."

Anna couldn't bring herself to meet Elsa's gaze. "Nothing's wrong with me, I'm just…" She placed her hands over her face, shielding her tears from her sister.

"Anna, please talk to me," Elsa pleaded. Anna could hear the pain in her voice, and she knew it was tearing her apart to see Anna in so much pain, especially after things were going so well.

"I-it's just…Kristoff. But mostly Hans. He-" She sighed, trying not to choke on her tears. "H-he broke my heart, and my trust. And now that he's gone…I'm too scared to open myself up to anyone else, you know?"

Elsa smiled grimly and nodded. "I do."

Anna shuddered, clutching onto Elsa's hands more tightly. "And now…with Kristoff here…I just don't know what to do. I really care about him, I really do. But…I'm too scared to l-lov-" Her voice cut off again, feeling embarrassed as she saw that some people were starting to stare.

"Shhh," Elsa hushed her, pulling Anna in for a hug. "It's okay. Take it from me, I understand completely. Love…love can be a scary thing. But Anna, you don't need to feel pressured to do or say anything, not right now. Just take your time. Speak from your heart."

Anna smiled up at her weakly, relishing her sister's words. "I know…but I just…I feel so much more _happier _around him, and I just want _him _to be happy, and I have all these emotions and I just don't know what to do with them!" She blushed and bit her lip, looking up at Elsa shyly. "I need help."

Elsa thought for a moment. "Well, I'm not much better with…boys and romance, but I've seen you with Kristoff, and I think you two-" She trailed off, looking slightly flustered. "He's not like Hans. I can tell by the way he looks at you, and treats you, that he really cares about you. And I can tell you care about him. This wouldn't be as big as a deal to you if you didn't."

Anna blushed, feeling a giddy sort of happiness rising in her. Elsa did have a good point. This _was _a big deal to her. She just felt like she _had _to tell Kristoff everything on her mind, and that if she didn't she'd just…explode! After all, he was amazing. Kristoff never rushed into things, he was patient with her, he always supported her, no questions asked, and she knew he would never do the things that Hans did. He'd protected her from danger, helped her when she needed it most, and carried her when she was weak. She actually knew him, she was still learning more about him everyday, actually. Now they just had to eat a meal together, she added mentally, breaking into a smile. Oh, and learn his foot size. But that, she blushed red, could wait for later.

"Thank you Elsa," Anna beamed, wrapping herself around Elsa in a big hug. "You're the best sister anyone could ask for!"

"But that title already belongs to you!" Elsa giggled, looking relieved that she had helped. She clutched Anna's hand again. "Now c'mon, let's skate some more! I have a few more tricks I wanna show you!"

Kristoff stood near the front doors of the palace, thankful for the lack of prying ears. "No, no, that sounds stupid," he muttered, shaking his head. "She'd laugh at me." He realized he probably looked like a crazy person, he was standing here and conversing intently with a door, after all. Then again, he smiled slightly, he did talk to a reindeer on a daily basis, so this wasn't much worse. But he figured if he _practiced s_aying what was on his mind, it would make actually _doing _it a whole lot easier. The problem was, he had no idea what he was doing. He'd never told anyone this before, well, outside of Sven, but he didn't really count. And this was different. He couldn't mess this up.

"Anna." Kristoff paused. Even the way he said her _name _was coming out wrong. "Anna? Anna! An_na. Anna._" Nope, nope, and nope.

He groaned, running his hands through his hair. This was hopeless.

He glanced over his shoulder, making sure that no one was around. Okay, maybe he'd just skip that first part. "I-I think you're a really cool person," he instead continued. Wait, _cool? _What kind of compliment was that? Anna wasn't just _cool, _she was…

"Amazing? Brilliant? Wonderful? Beautiful? Cute?" Kristoff frowned. Nothing sounded right. "Anna, I think you're really….great, and I love spending time with you. I would like to spend _more _time with you." Wait, did that sound creepy? What if she didn't want to spend time with him? What if she_couldn't _spend time with him? She _was_ the princess. There was no way she'd have free time to spend with a lowly ice harvester like him.

But he just had to tell her! Ever since her heart had thawed, the words had been dangling on the tip of his tongue, threatening to slip right out. A part of him, though he may have tried to forget, kept holding onto that dark thought: _What if something happened to her? What if he never got another chance? _He didn't want to go back to that dark moment, when she'd frozen to solid ice, her final scream hung in the air. In that moment, any wistful dreams he'd had of giving her that true love's kiss, of holding her in his arms, of keeping her warm, of whispering her name through thick eyelashes and being close enough to count every last one of those adorable freckles of hers came crashing down, frozen in time. And the worst part of it all: he never got to say goodbye. He never got to tell her that everything was going to be okay, that they would figure this out, that he was going to stay by her side, that he couldn't live without her, that that he even lo-

He shuddered, taking deep breaths to steady himself. He never wanted to go back to that moment. Ever. But now he had another chance to make things right. To get it all out on the table. He knew he should have been happy, he knew he should have been excited, but in all honesty, he was terrified.

Maybe he was making this too hard. After all, if he really felt this way about Anna, why couldn't he just tell her? Maybe he was putting too much thought into this. But then again, weren't you supposed to think about things like these? He bit his lip. He _was _overthinking this. He just needed to tell her what he was feeling. And that's all. If she never wanted to see him again, then he'd have to deal with that. If she did…well, he would think about that later.

He took a deep breath. He could do this. As he opened his mouth to speak, he found that the words were already there, just waiting to be brought to light. "Alright. Anna, ever since we met, I couldn't get over you. You're like…something I didn't know I needed in my life. And-and now I don't see how I could ever live without you, even if it is just as friends, or…maybe something more. I just think you're _amazing, _a-and wonderful, and beautiful, and a little loud, and kind of weird, but…perfect. And I just want you to be happy, and always have lots of chocolate and explore the world and have all these crazy adventures. Maybe we could even have some together? Yeah. I just want the best for you, for now and forever, because I think…I'm….I kind of just…I love you."

Kristoff breathed out a sigh of relief, pleased with his words. That didn't sound so bad. Not bad at all. A little sappy, sure, but he hoped that she'd-

"K-kristoff?"

Oh no.

Kristoff's heart leapt into his throat, his whole body feeling like it'd been dunked into a frozen lake. He'd recognize that sweet, cheery voice anywhere, even if he had only come to know it for a few days.

Feeling like his feet were suddenly made of lead, he turned around, now face-to-face with a clearly surprised Anna. Her eyes were wide in shock, and her mouth was hanging open. Kristoff couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. "A-anna? H-h-how much of that did you hear?"

Anna blinked up at him, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "All of it. I-I saw you and wanted to come talk to you b-but then I heard you talking and-" Her cheeks turned pink as she trailed off, looking like she was trying to prevent herself from exploding.

Kristoff felt humiliated. "Oh."

Anna bit her lip, glancing down at her feet before looking back up at him. "Did you really mean everything you said?"

Kristoff smiled slightly, torn between the urge to laugh and run and scream out loud. "Y-yes. But-you weren't supposed to hear that."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Kristoff nodded and blushed. "That was just me practicing…I was going to talk to you later. That wasn't even that good really. It was kind of horrible actually. I've never been good with words, well I mean, I could like talk and carry on a conversation and stuff, not that I really had anyone to talk with, but I'm not like into poetry or any of that stuff – not that there's anything wrong with poetry! Do you like poetry? We could read some, together, if you'd like. I could even write some for you! I can't promise it'd be that good, it'd probably be horrible actually, but you know, you can't knock it 'till you-

Rolling her eyes, Anna yanked him down by his shirt collar and pressed her lips against his, a smile spread across her face.

Kristoff's eyes widened, but he didn't complain, instantly melting to her touch and wrapping his arms around her tightly.

After a few moments, Anna pulled away, looking giddy. "I love you too."

Kristoff froze. "Wait, what?"

Anna rolled her eyes again, smiling at him. "Pay attention. I. Love. You."

Kristoff blinked at her wordlessly for a few moments, completely dumbfounded. "Y-you do? B-but how? I'm just-"

"Perfect, amazing, wonderful, unlike any man I've ever met?" Anna answered, giggling the whole time. "And…" She took a deep breath, collecting herself. "I know you would never hurt me. I trust you. You're not like Ha-" As flash of hurt passed Anna's eyes, causing her gaze to lower and her brow to furrow. She stared at her skates for a few long moments, looking almost _angry _at the memory of her ex-fiancé. Seeming to steady her emotions however, she looked back up at him, a determined glint in her eye. "You're not like Hans."

Kristoff nodded insistently, taking her hands in his. He wanted her more than anything to understand that he was never going to let Hans hurt her ever again. She was safe now, and that's how it was going to stay.

Anna on the other hand smiled up at him, suddenly looking shy. "You…you're different," she continued. "With Hans, everything was always superficial and cliché, and the whole time I couldn't believe it was actually happening – maybe because it wasn't. But with you….you feel real."

Kristoff smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Real?"

Anna smiled and squeezed his hands tighter. "You know what I mean. You're different. A good different."

Kristoff beamed, unsuccessfully trying to mask the sappy grin on his face. "You're different too. A little crazy, but different."

Anna thought for a moment before leaning in close, her lips brushing against his ear. "And is crazy good?"

Kristoff shivered, turning to meet her gaze. "Crazy is very good."

Anna brushed her lips against his. "That's what I thought."

The couple smiled at each other, their noses brushing together gently. An unspoken sort of agreement held them both in place, both savoring the feeling of being close to each other, of fingers intertwining and lips just barely meeting, but most of all, love in the air. Anna bought a soft, gentle hand up to cup his cheek, his name hung on her lips as she leaned in and-

"Hey, Anna, Kristoff!" Olaf suddenly called, sliding up and somewhat oblivious to what was going on. "Elsa says we're all going to town to get some hot chocolate! You should come! There'll be marshmallows! Speaking of, has anyone heard from Marshmallow? I hope he's okay! He _is _my big little brother, after all…" The snowman walked off, lost in his chattering excitement.

Anna and Kristoff parted, blushing and smiling at each other. Their tender moment may have been broken, but Anna still turned to smile at Kristoff, reaching out for his hand. "C'mon, we should go," she said, tugging at him. "We can share a cup."

Kristoff smiled back. "Sounds like a plan." Laughing at her squeal of surprise, he picked her off the ground and hoisted her onto his back. "Where to, my lady?" He asked, not meaning for it to come out in the reindeer-voice, and feeling slightly embarrassed when it did.

Nevertheless, Anna giggled, ruffling his hair with one hand. "To town!" She said in her own, not vey good, but still insanely adorable, reindeer voice. "The chocolate awaits!"

Yup, she was a keeper.


End file.
